In one embodiment, a supervisory device in a network forms a first virtual access point (VAP) for a first node in the network. A plurality of access points (APs) in the network are mapped to the first VAP as part of a VAP mapping and the first node treats the APs in the VAP mapping as a single AP for purposes of communicating with the network. The supervisory device determines a communication schedule for the first node based on a radio chain of at least one of the APs in the VAP mapping for the first VAP being shared by the first VAP and a second VAP for a second node in the network. The supervisory device, according to the communication schedule for the first node, causes one or more of the APs in the VAP mapping for the first VAP to instruct the first node to stop transmitting for a period of time.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method comprising: forming, by a supervisory device in a network, a first virtual access point (VAP) for a first node in the network, wherein a plurality of access points (APs) in the network are mapped to the first VAP as part of a VAP mapping, and wherein the first node treats the APs in the VAP mapping as a single AP for purposes of communicating with the network; determining, by the supervisory device, a communication schedule for the first node based on a radio chain of at least one of the APs in the VAP mapping for the first VAP being shared by the first VAP and a second VAP for a second node in the network; and causing, by the supervisory device and according to the communication schedule for the first node, one or more of the APs in the VAP mapping for the first VAP to instruct the first node to stop transmitting for a period of time.
2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the APs are Wi-Fi access points.
3. The method as in claim 1 , wherein forming the first VAP comprises: selecting, by the supervisory device, the plurality of APs for mapping to the first VAP to minimize a number of wireless channels to which the APs listen.
4. The method as in claim 1 , wherein forming the first VAP comprises: designating, by the supervisory device, one of the APs in the first VAP mapping to use multiple radio chains of the designated AP to beamform with the first node.
5. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the radio chain is switched to a different channel than that of the first node during the period of time.
6. The method as in claim 5 , further comprising: determining, by the supervisory device, that the radio chain of the AP will not be switched back to the channel of the first node by the end of the period of time; and, in response, causing, by the supervisory device, a second one of the APs in the VAP mapping for the first VAP to instruct the first node to continue to stop transmitting after the end of the period of time.
7. The method as in claim 5 , wherein the different channel is associated with a second VAP for a second node.
8. The method as in claim 1 , wherein causing the one or more APs to instruct the first node to stop transmitting for the period of time comprises: causing the one or more APs to send a unicast management frame to the first node indicative of a duration of the period of time.
9. The method as in claim 1 , wherein causing the one or more APs to instruct the first node to stop transmitting for the period of time comprises: causing the one or more APs to send a transmission opportunity (TXOP) to the first node with a low value for a traffic type expected from the first node.
10. An apparatus, comprising: one or more network interfaces to communicate with a network; a processor coupled to the network interfaces and configured to execute one or more processes; and a memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process when executed configured to: forming a first virtual access point (VAP) for a first node in the network, wherein a plurality of access points (APs) in the network are mapped to the first VAP as part of a VAP mapping, and wherein the first node treats the APs in the VAP mapping as a single AP for purposes of communicating with the network; determine a communication schedule for the first node based on a radio chain of at least one of the APs in the VAP mapping for the first VAP being shared by the first VAP and a second VAP for a second node in the network; and cause, according to the communication schedule for the first node, one or more of the APs in the VAP mapping for the first VAP to instruct the first node to stop transmitting for a period of time.
11. The apparatus as in claim 10 , wherein the APs are Wi-Fi access points.
12. The apparatus as in claim 10 , wherein the apparatus forms the first VAP by: selecting the plurality of APs for mapping to the first VAP to minimize a number of wireless channels to which the APs listen.
13. The apparatus as in claim 10 , wherein the apparatus forms the first VAP by: designating one of the APs in the first VAP mapping to use multiple radio chains of the designated AP to beamform with the first node.
14. The apparatus as in claim 10 , wherein the radio chain is switched to a different channel than that of the first node during the period of time.
15. The apparatus as in claim 14 , wherein the process when executed is further configured to: determine that the radio chain of the AP will not be switched back to the channel of the first node by the end of the period of time; and, in response, cause a second one of the APs in the VAP mapping for the first VAP to instruct the first node to continue to stop transmitting after the end of the period of time.
16. The apparatus as in claim 14 , wherein the different channel is associated with a second VAP for a second node.
17. The apparatus as in claim 10 , wherein the apparatus causes the one or more APs to instruct the first node to stop transmitting for the period of time by: causing the one or more APs to send a unicast management frame to the first node indicative of a duration of the period of time.
18. The apparatus as in claim 10 , wherein the apparatus causes the one or more APs to instruct the first node to stop transmitting for the period of time by: causing the one or more APs to send a transmission opportunity (TXOP) to the first node with a low value for a traffic type expected from the first node.
19. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing program instructions that cause a supervisory device in a network to execute a process comprising: forming, by the supervisory device, a first virtual access point (VAP) for a first node in the network, wherein a plurality of access points (APs) in the network are mapped to the first VAP as part of a VAP mapping, and wherein the first node treats the APs in the VAP mapping as a single AP for purposes of communicating with the network; determining, by the supervisory device, a communication schedule for the first node based on a radio chain of at least one of the APs in the VAP mapping for the first VAP being shared by the first VAP and a second VAP for a second node in the network; and causing, by the supervisory device and according to the communication schedule for the first node, one or more of the APs in the VAP mapping for the first VAP to instruct the first node to stop transmitting for a period of time.
20. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium as in claim 19 , wherein the radio chain is switched to a different channel than that of the first node during the period of time.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
January 8, 2018
October 1, 2019
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.